Workout Description

Why This Workout Is Hard

While the air squats are manageable, the devil presses combine a deadlift with a burpee and overhead press using two dumbbells. The descending rep scheme (15-12-9-6-3) helps, but 45 total devil presses with 50/35lb dumbbells creates significant upper body fatigue. The constant switching between full-body dumbbell work and leg-dominant squats, with no built-in rest, makes this a challenging metabolic workout lasting 12-15 minutes for average athletes.

Benchmark Times for Outside the Box #5

• Elite: <6:00
• Advanced: 7:00-8:00
• Intermediate: 9:00-10:00
• Beginner: >18:00

Training Focus

This workout develops the following fitness attributes:

• Stamina (8/10): High volume of squats (125 total) plus compound devil presses tests muscular endurance in legs, shoulders, and core through sustained work.
• Endurance (7/10): The descending devil press ladder combined with consistent air squat volume creates sustained cardiovascular demand, requiring steady aerobic output throughout the workout.
• Power (6/10): Devil presses involve explosive hip drive and dumbbell thrust, though fatigue will impact power output as workout progresses.
• Flexibility (5/10): Devil presses demand good shoulder mobility and hip flexibility, while air squats require decent ankle and hip range.
• Speed (5/10): Quick transitions between movements and maintaining steady pace on air squats is important, but not a sprint-style workout.
• Strength (4/10): Moderate dumbbell loads in devil presses require some strength, but not maximal. Air squats are purely bodyweight resistance.

Movements

• Air Squat
• Devil Press

Scaling Options

Devil Press modifications: reduce weight to 35/25 lbs, substitute dumbbell power clean and push press, or use single dumbbell. Air Squat modifications: reduce to 15-20 reps per round, elevate heels, hold support for balance. Volume options: 12-9-6-3 devil press scheme with 20 air squats, or cap workout at 15 minutes. For beginners: 9-6-3 devil press with 15 air squats.

Scaling Explanation

Scale if unable to perform 5+ unbroken devil presses with prescribed weight or if air squats cause significant form breakdown after 15 reps. Prioritize full range of motion on both movements - reduce load/volume to maintain quality movement. Target completion time is 12-18 minutes. Athletes should feel significant shoulder fatigue but maintain control of devil press throughout. Scale to preserve intended stimulus of moderate-high intensity with focus on upper body endurance.

Intended Stimulus

Moderate-length glycolytic workout (12-18 minutes) with descending devil press reps balanced against consistent air squat volume. Primary focus is upper body pushing power endurance combined with leg stamina. The workout tests mental toughness as athletes must maintain output while managing shoulder fatigue.

Coach Insight

Break devil presses early to preserve shoulders - consider sets of 3-4 in first round, then singles as needed. Keep air squats unbroken if possible to make up time. Stand fully between devil press reps to reset shoulders. Common mistakes: rushing first round of devil presses, losing full hip extension on air squats when fatigued. Transition quickly between movements but don't rush setup on devil presses.

Benchmark Notes

This workout follows a descending rep scheme for Devil Presses (15-12-9-6-3) with consistent Air Squats (25 each round). Analysis: Devil Press breakdown (2x50/35lb): - Fresh: 3-4s per rep - Fatigue multiplier increases each round: 1.0x, 1.1x, 1.2x, 1.3x, 1.4x Round estimates (elite pace): Round 1: 15 Devil Press (60s) + 25 Air Squats (30s) = 90s Round 2: 12 Devil Press (53s) + 25 Air Squats (33s) = 86s Round 3: 9 Devil Press (43s) + 25 Air Squats (35s) = 78s Round 4: 6 Devil Press (31s) + 25 Air Squats (35s) = 66s Round 5: 3 Devil Press (17s) + 25 Air Squats (35s) = 52s Transitions between movements: ~5s x 9 = 45s Total elite time estimate: ~420s (7:00) Using Grace (30 Clean & Jerk) as anchor since Devil Press is similarly demanding compound movement. Grace L10 is 90-120s for 30 reps. This workout has 45 Devil Press reps (50% more) plus 125 Air Squats, suggesting roughly 3.5x Grace times. Final targets: Male L10: 6:00-7:00 Male L5: 10:00-11:00 Male L1: 18:00-20:00 Female L10: 8:00-9:00 Female L5: 12:00-13:00 Female L1: 20:00-22:00

Modality Profile

Devil Press is a weightlifting movement (dumbbell), Air Squat is a gymnastics movement (bodyweight). With two movements split between G and W modalities, each gets 50%.

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